All the Pretty Chocobos
by Ducky2
Summary: The faster chocobos run, the more dust they kick up....


If anyone knows where the title of this story came from, good show! I'm a thief, but I mean no harm, not any! But they don't ride horses in the Final Fantasy realms. What's a girl to do? I don't actually know where the idea for this came from. With me, there's no telling! I think Irvine is the hardest character to write about! Really! This could be a stand-alone story, but I'm still making it part of my series. Actually, it could be either. If you're brave enough to face reading whatever weird things my mind comes up with, they go in the order of "I Think I Can", "All the Dreams End," and "The Full Circle." This is my first semi-romance. Be gentle. Read, review if you like. Timshel.

Disclaimer: Square has done a bang-up job of creating some lip-smacking good characters, that I am taking desperate liberties with to appease my growling creative beast trapped deep inside me. I don't own them, as much as you all want me to. It just isn't going to happen. The afore-mentioned company will always have the goods. ::sweatdrop:: It is a cruel, cruel world.

All the Pretty Chocobos

Under his feet, rock crunched and shifted. The terrain was dangerous, but he was careful enough. The sky was the same, the perfect blue. There wasn't a cloud to be seen anywhere. On the horizon, he could see another island, the large place where the Centra Ruins now stood. He had a fairly good idea where they were. He wasn't going to admit they were lost.

"Yo, we are LOST."

Irvine sighed. It would seem Zell didn't agree with doing the manly thing and holding out on admitting that fact until the last possible moment.

"I told her not to wander off."

Zell grinned. "Yea, right. Like Selphie's going to listen when there's so much here to explore."

His duster flapped in the wind. "Good point."

Zell sighed. "I would give anything for a hot dog."

"There are some on the Ragnarok."

"And it helps that we don't know where it is, since we're lost." Zell pointed out sarcastically.

"Well, the Centra Ruins are to the southeast. That means we're on the island with the chocobo forest." Irvine looked the north, where three mountains stacked up against it other to form a barrier.

Zell rubbed his hands together. "We could go get some chocobos and then find Selphie and the ship."

"Right." Irvine nodded and the two began walking again, making dust rise around them.

"You should give her a good talking to when she gets back," Zell teased. "Squall made you leader of this mission, and she shouldn't go undermining your authority."

Irvine smiled at the other man. As if anyone could stay angry at Selphie for long. "You know Squall only wanted her to come because she's been at loose ends lately."

"Ah, well. Sure she has." Zell stopped. "Looks to me, though, that maybe she's releasing some of that pent up energy."

Irvine frowned. "What?"

"WHOO-HOO! This is fun! Hey, Irvine, better watch out!"

Zell grabbed him and pulled him out of the way as a big yellow blur went whizzing right through where he had been standing.

The two men blinked at each other.

Irvine took a deep breath. "Was that Selphie on..."

Zell finished, "A chocobo? That's what I saw. Not sure I believe it."

The two turned around and watched a bit disbelievingly as Selphie manhandled the chocobo she was riding. Irvine figured it must've been four times her size. A genetically altered chocobo, unless they were getting that big on their own. How did she even get on that thing?

The chocobo kicked up dust, and tried to shake it's impediment off. Suddenly, it threw its head back and let out a startling call.

Irvine covered his ears. "Man. That's one weird chocobo."

Zell slapped his shoulder. "You haven't seen anything yet, yo. Look at this."

Irvine followed to where Zell pointed. His mouth dropped open.

A wave of them. What, coming to rescue the other one? He watched as long legs brought the crowd of chocobos closer and closer. Feathers flew everywhere, dust rose from the ground. It was like magic. The only place you could see this many chocobos was the Chocobo Sanctuary, and he had never been there. He took in a deep breath before snapping out of it. He knew where they were headed.

"Selphie! Get out of there!"

Bright eyes turned to him, winked. He held his breath as the wave of chocobos overtook her and her mount.

Zell grabbed his arm. "No. Chocobos aren't usually harmful. She can get out of there. Trust her."

Irvine waited as the chocobos churned, called, and finally stopped and started moving away, back to the forest. He looked everywhere for the yellow dress, but it was close to impossible to see it within so much of the same color all around.

"There she is!" Zell pointed as Selphie walked out of the mass of birds. He didn't waste any time in going to her.

She grinned at him as he and Zell grew closer. "Wasn't that wonderful? Exciting."

"Dangerous," he snapped. Overcome, he pulled her to him, burying his face in her hair.

He breathed in her scent. He didn't know at what point this small slip of a girl had become so important, such a part of his life that he couldn't, _wouldn't_ live without her. The smell of daisies filled his head. Always, she smelled like bright flowers. Everything about her was bright. She made his life that way with her simple acceptance of everything. She made him crazy with her antics. How could he not love someone that kept him on his toes?

"Hey, Irvine, I'm all right!" She leaned back, touched his cheek. "You're sweet being so worried. Wasn't that the most beautiful thing, though? All those chocobos, hundreds of them?"

Irvine ran his hand through her slightly tousled hair. "They were pretty, yes." He smiled at her. "You were more so, though. Rode that bird like a champ."

She blushed. "That's me!" She sighed. "Anyway, I thought I'd never find you guys! Look at this, you told me not to wander off and look what you two did! Should be ashamed of yourselves!"

Irvine and Zell smiled at each other. "Right," they agreed in unison.

She slipped out or Irvine arms and gripped his hand. "Now, let's get back to the ship. I don't know about you guys, but all that excitement made me hungry!"

The trio traveled back south, while two lone chocobos, the stragglers from the herd, stood watching.


End file.
